


a christmas quest

by willurosinmybow



Category: Twosetviolin, Video Blogging RPF, twoset violin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Cute, Falling In Love, M/M, Quests
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21958726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willurosinmybow/pseuds/willurosinmybow
Summary: Brett is looking for something. He just doesn’t know what.
Relationships: Breddy - Relationship, Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	a christmas quest

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by [2019 holiday merch lol](https://i.imgur.com/6PtbWeN.jpg)

The left side of Brett’s chest aches, and he doesn’t know why. It feels like something is missing. Something that used to be there is now gone. But what? Brett’s not sure. Maybe he lost his memories, along with... whatever else he lost. 

When he woke up this morning, there was a candy cane in the shape of a perfect bass clef on his night stand. It seems important, but he can’t say why. He carefully puts it in a plastic baggie and safety pins it to his jumper so he doesn’t lose it. He heads out the door, letting his feet take him where they will. 

Ah. A familiar walk. He’s heading to the music school, the path one he’s taken a thousand times before. When he arrives, however, the school is deserted, the halls empty. He runs through them, suddenly panicking. There’s no one, no one in the classrooms, in the practice rooms, in the offices. Not even the toilets. A sharp pain in his chest hits him, and he collapses to his knees, clutching the spot over the candy cane clef, catching his breath. Tears spring to his eyes as he gasps. He’s so alone. He could die here right now, and no one would be here to save him. 

He’s being melodramatic, of course. The pain passes. He stands up carefully. He needs a plan. 

He’s looking for _something_ , he knows that much. What, he doesn’t know. It’s like that feeling you get when you know you need something and you run to get it, and as soon as you’re in the right place, you forget what you needed to get. He needs something. He’ll know it when he sees it. So the only logical solution is to go through every room, every nook and cranny of the school, until he finds it. 

At least he doesn’t need to find a person, he thinks wryly. Or at least, he hopes not. Because no one is around. It must be the holidays, although you would think Brett would be able to remember that at least. But he can’t think properly. His chest hurts and his head feels fuzzy. It’s an effort to just keep himself upright and moving. 

He knows the school is big, but he didn’t realise exactly how big it is, not until now, as he goes through every room, checks every piano, every desk, every shelf, even the floor in case what he’s looking for has been swept carelessly onto the rug. As he wanders through the school, trying to take it slowly but growing more frantic over the hours, the sun starts to set, slowly sinking below the horizon, leaving just the faintest line of yellow light behind, until it’s gone. 

Brett collapses in despair. He clenches his fists, pretending that will help him try not to cry. Another sharp pain hits him, and he does cry out then, curling up on the floor, his face on the cool tile floor of the 2nd floor entrance to the performance hall. He sobs quietly. 

Slowly, over his despair, he becomes aware of the sound of a piano, muted behind a door. Could it be...? Brett gets to his feet, hope flaring within him as he yanks open one of the heavy double doors to the hall. 

There, on the stage, under the lone spotlight, a boy is playing the grand piano. Brett staggers to the edge of the balcony as the door quietly closed behind him. The boy hasn’t noticed the intrusion, continues playing... something by Chopin. [One of the Nocturnes... not the second.](https://youtu.be/eJVFMiokI_4) His playing is quite good, maybe not so polished, but it carries enough emotion that any technical deficiencies are easily overlooked. 

Brett makes his way down the stairs and closer and closer to the stage as the boy continues playing, and he’s reached the front row when the piece is over. Struck by a sudden impulse, Brett applauds enthusiastically. 

The boy jumps, clearly startled, head whipping around to find Brett. Then he relaxes and smiles, stands up from the bench and bows. He comes to the edge of the stage and offers his hand to Brett, helping him up. 

“I thought I was alone,” Brett says. The boy is a little taller than him, black hair highlighted with brown streaks, long fringe falling into his eyes. Brett’s never seen anyone more beautiful in his life. “I’m Brett. What’s your name?”

The boy frowns briefly, pointing at his mouth and throat. 

“You can’t talk?” Brett says.

The boy nods. Then he tugs Brett’s sleeve, taking them to the piano. He plays an E, then two D’s, clearly. 

“Edd?” Brett guesses. 

The boy nods, then shakes his head. He plays it again, then does a long gliss, stopping right before the last note of the piano. Brett notices even before the boy points it out. 

“Not the last one, huh? Wait, wait. So, Z, Y? Eddy?”

Eddy claps in delight. 

“I’m glad to meet you, Eddy. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I’m... I’m looking for something.” Brett’s eyes catch on Eddy’s sheet music, looking at the bass clef at the start of the lines, then back up to the... “I think I’m looking for treble?” Brett says, the meaning of his bass clef candy cane starting to dawn on him. 

Eddy’s eyes widen in alarm. 

“No, no, no,” Brett hurries to explain. “Not trouble. Treble.” He points at the clef on the page to illustrate his point. 

Eddy smiles. He places his hand over the candy cane on Brett’s jumper. Eddy’s hand is so warm, and for the first time, Brett feels the ache subside. Unfortunately, Eddy takes his hand away soon after, and the pain comes back full force. Eddy makes a gesture towards stage right, and Brett nods. 

“Yeah. Let’s go,” Brett says. “I’ve looked everywhere on the first two floors, but I haven’t looked on the third yet.”

*

It should be awkward but it isn’t, walking through the empty music school with a silent boy by his side. At one point, Brett can’t sense Eddy beside him and turns in a panic, thinking that Eddy’s mysteriously vanished into thin air. Eddy is right there, looking concerned at Brett’s panic, and Brett shakes his head and forces himself to smile.

Eddy slips his hand into Brett’s, and Brett latches on. He’s not letting go. 

Halfway down the hallway, Brett has to stop, clutching his chest and leaning against the wall for support. Eddy holds him up before he falls down, wrapping his arms tight around Brett. Brett whimpers in pain, burying his face against Eddy’s chest. The stabbing pain slowly fades, but the threat of it happening again lingers, smaller spikes of pain wounding his already aching chest. He’s running out of time. “I’m ok, I’m ok,” he gasps. 

Eddy reluctantly lets him go, and holds his hand again as they continue onwards. 

Every room is a disappointment - they’re bursting to the seams with musical instruments, scores, pencils, red pens, musical analysis, old recordings... but not a single candy cane treble clef. Brett’s nearly lost all hope, his knees getting weaker and weaker from the pain, when they open the second to last door. 

There on the perfectly clear desk, sits the treble clef Brett is looking for. With shaking hands, Brett unpins his bass clef from his jumper and takes it out of the bag. 

Eddy picks up the treble clef, holding it up. Then he frowns and turns it upside down. 

Brett frowns as well. “Are you sure? Upside down clef is kind of... sacrilegious. Well, we can try,” he says when Eddy shrugs. 

They’re a [perfect fit](https://i.imgur.com/KQKnF7K.jpg), and when the two clefs touch, they meld into one so quickly that it’s hard to even imagine that they were two separate pieces to begin with. 

Brett gasps in relief. The pain that’s been growing all day and all night has suddenly lifted, and his whole body feels light and elated. 

Eddy gives the candy cane heart to Brett, then reaches out and taps the left side of Brett’s chest, where it belongs. 

“Yes, but - “ It feels wrong, somehow, to keep the heart for himself. There has to be a reason for all of this, doesn’t there? Brett holds the heart, contemplating it for a long while. Then he looks at Eddy, who still looks worried, like Brett might collapse at any second. Past Eddy, Brett can see out the window, the sky hazy and light, the way it gets just before sunrise. 

Brett takes the heart and presses it to Eddy’s chest. It shouldn’t work, but it does, the heart sinking through Eddy’s jumper like a ghost, glowing hot as it disappears under Brett’s fingers. Brett is left with his hands against Eddy’s smooth chest, and that memory of warmth as he gave his heart to Eddy. 

Eddy looks at him with wide eyes. He cups his hands over Brett’s, then slowly leans down and kisses Brett. He tastes as sweet as a candy cane. 

“I love you, Brett,” Eddy says, his voice hoarse from his silent night, as the sun rises on the first day of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Music recs:
> 
> **Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2** \- I listened to this a lot while writing. Just recently discovered it and it’s insanely beautiful, and haunting and mysterious.
> 
> **Chopin Nocturne Op 9 No 3** \- what Eddy is playing when Brett finds him. The beginning reminds me of music box music, which is supposed to be innocent and cheerful but can sound really creepy when you think you’re alone and then it quietly starts playing. I love the way it builds from there, into wistfulness then an intense longing.


End file.
